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Tag: church (Page 20 of 28)

Today In History

April 3, 2023 / / 0 Comments

This week is a week that Christians around the world celebrate as something we call Holy Week. It’s the week that we attribute to Jesus coming into Jerusalem where he is heralded as King. Then things turn drastically for the worse and by the end of the week he’s dead and buried. Pretty hard shift to say the least. But how did it all happen? And what happened between Sunday and Friday to bring this change in how people saw Jesus?

What exactly is Holy Monday anyway?

The Monday of Holy Week is called Holy Monday. Really not much holy about most Mondays so we’ll take it right! This day is called holy primarily because it falls during this week that in general is considered Jesus’ holy walk to the cross.

But did Jesus do anything special on this Monday to make it special?

The answer is a bit complicated. So we’ll give it a yes and a no. I get it that’s the cheater’s way out but stick with me here for a minute.

On the Monday of this Holy Week time period, Jesus entered the city and went straight to the temple. In the center of the town was a temple. And it was a lot like a small community of its own complete with worship center, tons of people and even the ability to buy and sell certain things.

Well, this particular day Jesus enters the temple area and is upset. He’s upset because the main thing in the temple was supposed to be worship and sacrifices to God. But that’s not the focus that day. The focus was on the buying and selling things.

Ok so Jesus didn’t really have a problem with the buying and selling either. From what many bible scholars and cultural history buffs tell us, you could buy and sell animals for sacrifice in certain parts of the extended temple complex. The issue Jesus had was essentially the currency conversion rate and the mark up placed on these goods.

You see in the temple you couldn’t just walk in with street money and expect to buy things. There was a temple currency of sorts that generally had to be obtained. So they had these currency conversion tables. The issue here however is the temple got to determine the conversion rate. So they could charge some people more for the conversion and others less depending on the person’s overall economic standing.

Then there is the mark up. The issue here is that when people came to buy an animal for the regular sacrifice, the temple sales people were marking up the cost of animals to make a little extra cash. It’s not really known if they were pocketing the money or storing at the temple or sending their families to Disney World. All that is known is that they were selling things are a far higher price than they should have. So Jesus enters the temple and tells them all to get lost until they can have the right heart.

Now when making money is your motivation for doing something. And when someone stops you from making money, you get a bit bent. This is what started to happen to some of the leaders when Jesus came in and turned over the tables and removed them from the temple.

So what we see on this Monday of Holy Week is the beginning of the end for Jesus. This is one reason why things turned so quickly for Jesus and shouts of praises on Palm Sunday turned to kill him by Friday.

When Tragedy Strikes

March 28, 2023 / / 0 Comments

What do we do when tragedy strikes? What do we do when it hits close to home? What about when it impacts our very own family and friends? What about when our community is thrust into chaos because of the actions of someone unruly or evil?

Our tendency in these times is to find the biggest target we can find and throw blame at it. We want to find someone to hold accountable and it’s far easier to blame the biggest person, organization or group in the room. While this may be the easiest in the moment, it’s not generally the most effective method. And it will not bring the results we want.

Yesterday another senseless act of violence took the lives of innocent children and adults. It’s tragic to say the least. I hear of these things and want something to change. I want these to stop. I want children to be able to attend school without fear of something like this happening. I want teachers to be able to walk into schools with smiles on their faces and not a sense of apprehension in their minds about the safety of their room that day.

For some this will be an unpopular opinion, and for those of you who are offended by my thoughts, my intent is not to offend you. You have your thoughts and I have mine. You have the right to hit the little “x” or red dot and close this window and you’re welcome to do that.

Now for the unpopular opinion.

Blaming the wrong entity won’t help. Blaming the system, government, weapon of choice, school system, police force… none of that is going to make a bit of difference. Making more laws unfortunately won’t be of any real help either. How many bad guys read the law books to make sure it’s not going to break a law? Don’t believe me? Look at your own life for a minute.

There these little white rectangular signs on the side of the road. They are laws. Did you know that? Laws that state how fast are allowed to go in a given area. We call them speed limit signs. Now how many of you follow those suckers to the number? Do you push the limits at all? Maybe going 5 over? or 10? Drive the freeway and you’ll see it. Laws don’t stop people from doing what’s wrong. Or look at those red octagons. Ever roll through a stop? Yeah well that’s against the law too. Laws don’t make the problem go away. We just find another way.

I don’t want this to come across as insensitive at all. I am 100% against the violence. I am 100% against the evil actions around us. But I am also of the mindset that laws don’t stop stupid. They don’t stop mean. They don’t stop threats or violent acts. Rapists know it’s wrong but they still do it. Thieves know it’s wrong but they still steal. There are laws against all sorts of things but to prohibit something doesn’t stop someone from doing it.

So then what do we do?

The short answer is we need to change the way we think. Who’s to blame? The perpetrator. The villain. But more than that society is to blame. We all are to blame for the mess we’re in right now. When we can’t find a solid and consistent measure for right and wrong it should be no surprise when people will find their own measuring stick.

We live in a world that has taken right and wrong out of the equation because we don’t want to hurt or offend someone. We don’t want to “shove” our ideology down someone else’s throat so we don’t teach ethics anymore. There are not immovable standards in society. You have your truth and I have mine. That’s a sick and twisted society friends.

What do we do? We hold to some standard of truth. We hold to some form of right and wrong. For a couple of centuries this country had a pretty decent standard of how to function. From the Constitution to the Declaration of Independence to the other documents that were part of the founding of this nation, we had a real and easy to follow set of boundaries. For a time the nation used the essence of the Bible (not teaching the faith of the Bible but the boundaries it set) for a determination of right and wrong.

You may not agree with those documents. You may not like them. You may think they are old and potentially even a bit outdated. But they were foundational to who we are as a people.

How do we fix where we are? Be kind. It’s really that simple. Don’t be a jerk. Raise your kids to be kind. Not tolerant because tolerant doesn’t do anything. Kindness does. Go out of your way to do good to someone. If you’re the praying type spend some time in prayer. Dad’s be present with your families. Quit running away to pursue your own selfish lustful passions and be involved in your kids’ lives.

When tragedy strikes is the time we come together not throw crap at one another like a bunch of mindless monkeys. Stop slinging crap and start being kind and we might just see a change in our communities.

What are we to do?

March 24, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Yesterday we dealt with the uncomfortable question of what’s going on in the world. The trouble we face in the world is not a change in God’s plan rather it’s stuff that happens while God is doing his main work. That work is the work of building his church.

Today we’re going to get to the issue of what then is the church supposed to be doing during these crazy and, for many, challenging times. The short answer is doing what Jesus would do. But what does that look like?

The Bible clearly states that the church, assembly of God’s people, is known as the body of Christ. So if we, when we function together, are actually the body of Christ, then shouldn’t we be functioning like the body of Christ?

What this does not mean…

Let’s set the stage here a little. Functioning as the body of Christ does not mean that we all have to look and act the same. We don’t have to have the same vocabulary and posture either. We do, however, have to possess the same focus and intent. We must be about the same purpose as Jesus.

We do not have to do it the same way in every context. This might be hard for some to hear, but different cultures have different values and ways of expressing themselves. When we function as the body of Christ, we must take into account the cultural makeup of the group we’re reaching. Neither Jesus nor his disciples made the people all adhere to the same rituals and customs. The matter of circumcision is one that comes to mind here. They didn’t force the people of other cultures go through the rite of circumcision in order for them to be saved.

What then should we do?

Look at what Jesus actually did. He got to know the people around him. Before throwing forgiveness bombs into the crowd, he often healed and fed them and provided for their felt needs. What would happen if the church became known for the types of things Jesus was known for in the community in his day?

We spend a lot of time as churchy people acting anything but like Jesus. We become so adamant on the who, what, where, when and how of the things we do that we often neglect the why. Instead of asking who are the people in our churches, we should be asking who are the people not in our churches?

Take an honest look at your community. Do a quick needs assessment. What are the needs that are present in your community? Where are people hurting? Where are they struggling? What are the things they’re trying to accomplish that they just can’t seem to get done?

Then match that up with your passions, skills, resources and people. Where these overlap, you’ll see how you have been uniquely placed in your region as the church Jesus is building.

There is a bit of an art to this process and can be overwhelming at times because it’s not our natural way to look at life. If you’re struggling with this process and would like some help with focusing your efforts, reach out. I’m part of a team that has this process nailed down pretty tight. We’d love to help you to focus your efforts to do the work of the church that Jesus is building in your midst.

What’s going on?

March 23, 2023 / / 0 Comments

I sure hope I’m not the only one who wonders this sometimes. I sure hope that I’m not the only one who hears the news (often by accident) or reads an article on the internet or listens to people around me talking and wonder what’s happening in the world?

Maybe you’ve heard of the fears of economic collapse? Or perhaps the weird things going on in the banking industry around the world? Maybe you’ve grown a tad weary about the lingering conflict in parts of our world? Perhaps you’re getting a tad uneasy about the partnerships being formed between nations that really don’t seem to be up to anything good?

What’s going on?

People who you thought were friends no longer want to talk to you. Institutions that once were focused on helping others have collapsed. Churches have turned inward. And the world around us seems to be spiraling into practices that have historically been deemed unethical, false and evil.

What’s going on?

If you look at sheer numbers, an easy but not effective metric to use, it appears that the church in the world is shrinking rapidly. Small churches are closing and larger ones are showing signs of decline. There are some exceptions but this seems to be more the norm across the country.

What’s going on?

A little word of hope for those of you who are feeling a bit overwhelmed. There is a section in the Bible that we often gloss over as we gravitate to the more well known portion. But it’s often in the seemingly mundane and obscure parts of the bible that we find some really great gems of truth. Take a look here.

Jesus says in the book of Matthew “I will build my church.” Now the context is why we often miss this little gem. This is the section where Peter gets it right. Jesus asks who people say he is. Then Peter without hesitation gives the proper understanding of who Jesus really is. He is the one promised. The Christ who is the Son of God. This is when Jesus replies on this rock I will build my church.

We tend to get hung up on the rock part of this phrase, but what about the promise? What about the section dealing with what God is up to? It’s in this little phrase that we find the answer to our question what’s going on.

So what is going on?

Jesus is building his church. I know that sounds a little weird but in the odd, terrible, threatening, fear-filled, terrifying, uncertain, upside down moments in the world Jesus has not lost his focus. His focus is true. He is building his church.

When the economy is in shambles, Jesus is building his church. When the towers fell in New York, Jesus was still building his church. When illness hits our home and takes our loved one, Jesus is still building his church. When the world is chaotic and just flat messed up, Jesus is still building his church.

Nothing changes the focus of God. Nothing shifts his sights even the slightest. Jesus is still building his church. And that church (the global version, not exactly the local version) will prevail as long as she stays true to his teaching.

The idea that Jesus is building his church doesn’t make the hard days come less often or the pain of the loss of a loved one any less painful. But it does help us see things a little differently. But what do we do with it?

Tomorrow we’ll deal with what the church is supposed to do with this reality. But for now find comfort knowing that the nastiness of life hasn’t changed who God is or what he’s up to. It hasn’t stopped him from doing his work. He’s still building his church and has invited you and me to be a part of this amazing work.

Goodness of God

March 6, 2023 / / 0 Comments

This week we bring back another familiar song. It’s been around for a while but it’s a much needed song some days. We need to take time to just stop every once in a while to see how true this really is. Perhaps your day to pause is today.

Have you ever considered where God has shown up in your life? I don’t mean in the lottery winning, job promotion earning, kids always behaving, marriage filled with all five love languages kind of showing up. I mean in the nasty, dark, cold, lonely, depressing moments of life. This is when we really can see the goodness of God the best, if we only look.

For most of my life, I’ve been pretty blind to the goodness of God. If I’m being honest, it never really was a second thought for me. My life has been filled with many blessings and tons of wonderful memories that I reflect on frequently. This is largely why it is so easy to overlook the goodness of God. When things go well, we don’t really need to think about it. We just live in it to the point we don’t even see His hand moving all around us. Kind of like the whole can’t see the forest through the trees way of thinking.

This week I’d encourage you to just pause. Maybe it’s a few minutes at lunch time or sitting on the front porch or maybe a quick walk around the block. Just stop and listen. No AirPods. No mind filling worries. No stress can come with you in this moment. Just disconnect and listen. Hear the birds chirping. Listen to the wind blow through the trees. Or hear the busyness of the cars flying down the interstate. Just pause and hear the world move around you.

Then think about the goodness of God in that moment. Think about the time he sent that special friend when you were lonely to just check in on you. Think about the unexpected gift when you were stressed about your money. Think about the kind gesture from a neighbor when you just felt down. These are goodness of God moments.

Take a few minutes this week, and every week ideally, and ponder how great – how good – how amazing God’s goodness has been toward you.

To Die And Be Forgotten

March 3, 2023 / / 1 Comment

I know the title is a tad morbid and depressing but just give me a few minutes and read on. We all have goals in life. Some want to be millionaires or even want to have a street named after them. Some desire to climb the corporate ladder or become the biggest name on the block. There are some with life goals that leave a legacy for their family or friends or followers. But some of us really don’t see it that way.

I was recently listening to a podcast on one of my drives to the gym. The speaker, who I honestly can’t remember anymore, said something that really stood out to me. It was kind of shocking in a good way. It’s almost as if this person speaking was saying something that’s been my way of living lately.

I want to share the gospel, die and be forgotten.

Wow how cool is that! I mean that’s exactly what I want my life to be about. No this is not a depressing statement. Actually it’s quite the opposite. I think it shows that my priorities are in the right place.

Let’s look at it a little differently. As a pastor, there are those people who are part of the church because they have family there. There are others who are present because a friend invited them. Some are there because the church teaches the Bible or has engaging ministry programming. But there are some who are only at a given church because of the pastor. Don’t believe me? What happens when the pastor leaves?

In the average church, when the pastor or other key ministry leader leaves, there is a minor exodus. Some leave because the leader is no longer there and they really liked that leader. I’ve seen it in my ministry. When I come in to a church and people quickly realize that I am not the same as the guy before me, there are some who just don’t like it. And they leave.

I really hope this doesn’t happen to me ever. I never want to leave an organization or church and have people leave because I’m no longer there. Don’t come to church because I’m there. Don’t come because I’m the pastor. I really don’t want it that way.

My heart’s desire is that I get to preach the gospel. Then one day I will die. And when I do, it’s ok to forget me. Actually please do forget me! I would much rather in those moments that you cling to Jesus than some memory of me.

You see that’s why my goal in life is to one day die and be forgotten. It was never about me in the first place!

Obstacles To Faith

February 14, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Some people won’t read this simply because of the title. Others will read it just for that reason. My hope is that we read this not for the title but for what’s inside.

I have to be totally honest. I’m a pastor. I’ve been one for nearly 21 years. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. But a little known secret that most every follower of Jesus tries to hide…I sometimes struggle with my faith.

Now let me be totally transparent. I’m not saying that I doubt who Jesus was or what he did or any of that. I do believe all of that and am truly grateful for all of the people who have poured into me to get me to where I am today. The issue is that I struggle with my personal understanding of and need for faith.

Let me put it a different way. The biggest obstacle to a life of faith is pride. It’s easy to put the wrong mindset on and go through life thinking we don’t need God or we didn’t do anything wrong in that area. It’s all too tempting to kind of sideline our faith because our lives are really going well.

If you look around and honestly reflect on your life, you probably have moments when things were just cruising on autopilot. Your marriage was fine. Bills were being paid. Kids aren’t in jail. No major illness in your family. Haven’t lost anyone in recent years. Your vacations are wonderful until they end. All the things in life just click along.

It’s in these moments that we don’t really feel the need for God. It’s all too easy in these days when our cup is overflowing to look past our God to all of the things that we have amassed for ourselves. This, not sin, is the greatest obstacle to our faith.

Yes sin, all of it, is wrong and needs to be repented. That’s not what I said. So quit hearing what you want to hear and hear what I actually said. Sin isn’t the greatest obstacle we face when it comes to faith.

The greatest obstacle to saving faith in Jesus is our pride. When we seem to have everything we think we need, then we don’t need Jesus. That’s pride. That’s the greatest obstacle to faith.

What’s worse than this? I’m glad you asked! It’s often in these moments of self righteous pride that we hold our magnifying glass over the apparent failures of others. In our pride we try to magnify someone else’s struggle to make ourselves even bigger. And that’s the pride slide.

No where in the Bible is pride a good thing. Nowhere in the Bible is focusing on my accomplishments over Christ’s sufficiency acceptable. Nowhere is it remotely approved of to highlight someone else’s sins while keep our closet locked securely so that no one, even ourselves, can see what’s inside.

If the church, Christians, pastors want to find a way to reach the people around them, we better start by dealing with our own selfish pride. When we get that part right, the rest will start to make a lot more sense. We can’t love one another if we think we’re better than everyone else. We can’t live God’s story if we think we’re God’s gift to the world.

Remove the obstacle of pride with repentance. Honest admission of where we’ve wronged others followed by changing your lifestyle is what fixes this pride slide. True you can’t change how others see you. Some people will just hold onto the one thing you said or the one thing you did. That’s not what this is about. This is about you.

You, nope not her or him but you! You take time to deal with your pride and you’ll see how much it has hindered your faith. When pride is gone, you’ll see just how effective sharing the gospel story can be because it will line up with life.

He Gets Us

February 13, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Did you watch the Super Bowl? Did you watch it for the game? Or did you watch it trying to see what the best commercial would be this year? I always loved the creativity exhibited when these ad executives would throw everything they had to communicate the value of the product they were selling. Some were fantastic! Other’s really left me curious what they were thinking.

This year I had a houseful of youth and their families. We ate. We talked. We watched the game and some of the commercials. I didn’t pay a ton of attention to the whole thing as I was just enjoying being around these people.

But I did see something. There were two commercials on during the game from a relatively new campaign. They weren’t selling anything. No product was highlighted. And to be honest there wasn’t a creative gimmick they were using either. The commercials were black and white. Very quiet. And a simple phrase ended the commercial.

He gets us.

The commercials were about Jesus. They were trying to communicate something about God. He gets us. Simple and to the point. He’s not some aloof being that has no ability to know the pains and struggles of men and women. He gets us. Where many of us have been, he has been as well.

But there’s a problem. It’s not a problem with the commercials. It’s a problem with how they’re being received. Nope, not by the general population of the world either. By some people in the church.

Ok before someone goes off half cracked and tries to convince me that the commercials were lacking something – I know! That was the point! The point of the commercial was to give you and me as followers of Jesus an open door and a conversation starter. You’re welcome.

The average church in North America is dwindling in size. People are exiting the church because they don’t feel the church (and guilt by association Jesus) cares. Enter He Gets Us. The commercial demonstrates a different reality. Jesus not only cares but he gets it. He gets the feelings and the hurts and the distance and the loneliness and the hatred and division. He gets us. Not he gets it. He gets us.

If you want someone to tell the people in the world around you about the wonders of Jesus as savior who died and rose, then go for it! No one is stopping you. Engage in conversations at the coffee shop. Talk to the cashier at the grocery store. Be the hands and feet of Jesus to the widow across the street. But don’t blast an ad agency for sharing a sliver of who Jesus was.

The more that churchy people blast one another and even this campaign, the more we’re going to prove the world around us right. For the first time in who knows how long, the majority of Americans no longer identify as Christians. And here we are griping about a commercial that says in the midst of your pain Jesus gets you. How about we take that open door and answer the questions people are asking? How about instead of complaining because they missed something, we build on the 30 second ad and share the rest of the story?

Maybe you have a better idea for how to do the job? That’s great! Then do it. No one is stopping you. Go door to door. Talk to the people around you. Share the story of God’s love and forgiveness. Be creative or not. But let’s stop looking for the worst in a situation.

He gets us even those of us who make life hard on others. He gets us even those who can’t see an opportunity right in front of us. He gets us when we miss the opportunity to build on a movement right in front of us. He gets us but there’s so much more to the story! Wanna know? Just ask.

How Old Are You?

February 10, 2023 / / 0 Comments

There are a few things I know, some from experience and some from common sense. Never ask someone how old they are. Never guess someone’s age. And never, never, I repeat never ask a woman if she’s pregnant – yep even if you are 99.999% sure she is. You are signing your own death certificate in any of those situations.

Ok brevity aside there is a time when age is an important topic to consider. I recently came across a graphic that caught my eye. It was more of a graph than a picture but the details it contained were of some level of interest. What could this mean for me? I’m not a hugely studious person. I do however like to obtain some new information especially if it’s about a topic in which I take interest. This one did just that.

I’m a pastor so this information was pertinent to churches but not just for pastors. Actually I think it’s more intriguing to me as a member of a church than just as a pastor. The graphic contained age breakdowns of different church denominations. Basically it asks what the general age of your church tradition is based on some national study.

Have you ever looked around the church you attend (if you attend one) and evaluated what the general age of the population is? I do this for most places I go. I notice how old people are who eat at the restaurants I frequent. I check the age of the people at the gym during the times I attend. I notice what the average age of the church I serve is and how it fluctuates over time.

Ok so the church body of which I’m a part is listed first. That’s not exactly a good thing in this case. What it says in simple terms is that this Lutheran Church body is made up to a large extent by people who are over 65 years old. and that people 18-44 combined are barely half the percentage of those over 65. It means that this church tradition is getting old and it means we should be asking some serious questions.

Why are there more 65+ year olds than 18 year olds? Why are there so few young people in this church body? Does this reflect the local church that I attend?

These are just a few quick questions that I ask. Now the church I pastor does not fit this mold. As a matter of fact I would almost say our numbers are flipped from these numbers. But why is it that there are so few young people that gravitate toward some of the church traditions that are considered to be more historic mainline traditions?

I think part of it has to do with relevancy. Not the relevancy of Jesus or the Bible. Our job is not to make the Bible or even Jesus relevant. But the work we do as church can be seen as irrelevant by the culture around us if all we do is argue over who does something better, or we’re not using the right book or we don’t dress the right way.

I see a strong desire in the young men and women in the world to want to do more about what they are passionate than to just talk about it. I think this is an area we can learn as churches. We talk about loving Jesus and our neighbors but do we do it with actions? We talk about protecting certain groups of people, but when it comes to the inconvenience of actually lending a hand are we just words?

I think this is a large reason why so many churches are seeing a decline while others are exploding at the seams. Some churches do the hard job of living out what they talk about.

So don’t ask a woman if she’s pregnant or anyone what their age is, but it’s ok to notice the general age groups represented in any given scenario. It’s ok to ask hard questions about why those people are attracted to that type of gathering. And it’s ok to make a few adjustments to be more conscientious toward those groups not represented.

At Least They Didn’t See You Naked!

February 9, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Ok so this one is a bit of an out there kind of comment and I get it, but bear with me. No pun intended, well sort of.

I was recently chatting in a bible study group on the book of Luke in the New Testament. It was the story of Jesus healing the man with many demons. If you don’t know the story, it’s found in Luke 8. But the gist is that a man was possessed by many demons. Those demons did everything they could to try to kill the man. They gave him some unique abilities that we would call supernatural. But they also made him a tad out of his mind to the point that he would often be found running around town stark naked.

I know that would be a tad embarrassing to say the least, right? Well, after Jesus healed this man of his demons and cast them out of him, the man was in his right mind again. And all he could do was tell everyone around him about the man who healed him. And yes he was fully clothed.

As a pastor I hear a lot of people saying how uncomfortable they are with the idea of telling their friends and family what Jesus has done in their lives. We call that evangelism in the church world. We get a little apprehensive because we don’t have all of the answers. We aren’t sure we have the courage to speak up. We’re embarrassed about the idea of it. And what if people talk about us like we’re some kind of weirdo or freak?

Ok so I get it. The idea of sharing your faith is something that’s a bit abnormal. And I also agree that it can be a little unnerving at times. But at least the people you’re telling about Jesus didn’t see you naked!

Could you imagine being that man walking around town telling the people all that Jesus had done knowing that just yesterday he was running around town in his birthday suit? Now I get it. This isn’t the most normal way to think about this passage. And I’ve never really considered myself normal, so take that for what it is.

It’s really not that hard to do when you have had the experience this man had. He knew how much Jesus did for him so even his embarrassing naked escapades didn’t stop him. Do you know how much he’s done for you? Can you see the difference he’s made in your life?

Jesus isn’t calling you to streak through town. He’s just telling you that if you’ve experienced something that he’s done for you, then have the courage and boldness to talk about it. It’s really that easy.

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